Cold, and more serious matters

Yes, I know that I am the one who always rabbited on about how lovely winter is and blablabla. However, there was (at least in my mind) an implicit caveat in that statement: winter is lovely in a country where the houses have insulated walls and windows that close tightly. I realized that I am sitting in a draft which is making my neck, lumbar region and ankles cold. I've no idea whether it's new this year, due to a recently-opened crack somewhere, or due to my continuing jetlag-induced tired-and-unfit-ness, or purely imaginary, or whether it was always thus and I simply never noticed before.

I do know that the radiator in the kitchen is not radiating any warmth at all, it's as cold as the windowpanes. Have to see about that soonest.

Bringing in my plants from the summer office also imported a large number of interesting and unusual insects, which I have been capturing and killing with gusto and kleenex.

In more serious news I heard about the wildfires in San Diego and vicinity by chance last night, when I happened to meet in Second Life a friend who was waiting to be evacuated from her house! To think that we had been joking about forest-fire-season in California only a day or two previously. I wish all Californian friends and readers the very best of luck, may you all survive unharmed and find your homes needing nothing more than a good scrubbing.